All That May Come To Pass
by orientalbunny
Summary: The world of mankind has many realities, most of which are ugly. And in the face of such heartbreak Sarah must look back, and return to a world where the word “impossible” does not necessarily apply. Rated T for course language.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth or its characters. This is a one shot that reflects my love for the story and the fact that sometimes I have a restless spirit and an overactive imagination. In no way do I make any profit from this or any of the other stories I submit here.

Summary: The world of mankind has many realities, most of which are ugly. And in the face of such heartbreak Sarah must look back, and return to a world where the word "impossible" does not necessarily apply.

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_. . .Then suddenly I feared the cars,  
The streets you cross, the days you pass.  
You hold me as a glass holds water.  
You can be shattered like a glass.  
_  
_"The Dangerous World" by Naomi Replansky_

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**Title:**** All That May Come To Pass**

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I dreamt he was there.

His back was to me and I could hear the whine of the faucet as warm water gushed out and over his soapy hands. The light spilled in, turning the gauzy yellow rose patterned curtains translucent as it highlighted the outer edges of his hair white. He was washing coffee mugs…our coffee mugs. The light spilled around him and threw a large rectangle of light upon the floor, with his scrunched up shadow in the center.

My throat tightened, useless, as I reached for him, the light glinting off my wedding band in tiny colorful pinpoints.

Into the box of light, my shadow entered and embraced his. Only then did I feel safe and whole…when I felt him in my arms, safe and there, there, there, there. His voice floated to me, like something from a distant memory.

"How about a ride to the park today?"

I prickled at the idea but couldn't exactly remember why. So instead, I thought back to all the times we had gone to the park. Jareth…so serious and yet, often times so innocent. He saw the world with almost childlike wonder, fascinated by cars, amazed by things we as humans take for granted. He's beautiful in this world. Especially when he looks up at the sky, surrounded by dark green grass. It's his eyes; they look content, almost sleepy, as if he owns the park…as if he owns the world.

"We'll need to stop for gas," he said by way of a reminder and it broke my momentary daydream.

The unease threatened to overwhelm me at that sentence and I really could not recall why, so I pushed it away. I was happy here. Jareth was here, so everything was okay. He was always here, wasn't he? I felt like there was more, and that if I thought beyond this moment I would lose him. So I held him tighter, pressing my face into his back, between his shoulder blades. The fragrance of lemon dish detergent mixed with the scratchy scent of ivory linen, and for one moment I could not fathom one without the other.

"I like this shirt," I whispered, feeling his smile, his amusement in the way he moved or paused.

"How about that station with the small deli inside?" he asked as he turned in my arms. Warm, soapy fingertips pressed into my back and it felt silly and good, like the innocent kiss he placed on the top of my head. The unease returned at the mention of the station. I tried, really I did, but I could not seem to follow the strange feeling.

"Sandwiches by the lake," I murmured absentmindedly.

He looked at me and his expression was very mild, one side of his lips just slightly curling with good humor. It was only for me, an expression so subtle no one else would have known that inside he was practically dancing.

"Perfect," he whispered; and he could have meant the idea but I felt the word like a sweet caress.

I suddenly realized how different he looked as a human, how his eyes had lost that stern look over the past year. The authoritative air he carried about himself, especially in his speech and harsh stride, had lost that tense edge.

He pulled me to his chest and I exhaled all my troubles into the buttons of his shirt. I was so happy…so content.

And then it happened, the spike of horror as I heard a bell chime, the kind made by small rust colored bells tied to the corner of an old door.

The panic rose like a wave as my perception changed to that of one floating away, and I saw myself holding onto Jareth in our kitchen. The scenery should have changed but thankfully it did not. Instead the sounds, the horrible words and noise accompanied what I now realized was a dream…and… a memory… in strange discordance. It was like watching one channel on TV on mute while the sounds of another channel came through.

I gasped, dying for the reassuring warmth of his chest, for the steady heartbeat that was seconds ago, under my ear.

A loud slap and angry voices and I needed to wake up, to escape this hell, to escape the sounds that tortured me with its hideous accuracy. And yet…oh god, I did not want to leave the sight of us, together again.

"Don't touch her!" came Jareth's voice, and I felt it, like a bolt of lightning, why I didn't dare to dream. It was that little sound of painful surprise he made stretched out like a hiss. It was the moment we both realized he did not own the world…could not control his destiny.

I could not bear it any longer. I pulled away from the dream, watching the dream "me" hold Jareth by the kitchen sink. We slowly faded away even as I could hear another part of myself screaming.

My eyes snapped open and it was dark and the only sounds I could hear were angry inhalations bordering near hysterical sobbing. The living room, I had fallen asleep in the living room again. It was warm, stifling even. Ever since… I stopped that thought instantly; I have _always_ kept the kitchen window closed.

_Oh God…_

No more, I could not bear to see that square shaped patch of sunlight embrace my floor. The curtains were replaced with a thicker darker cloth, shut tight and effective as a nailed down plank of wood. The smell of old books simmered during the day heat and soon I knew, would overwhelm.

I wondered vaguely if I had a fever. Closing my eyes, I focused on bringing myself back to calm. The loss of the dream tightened everything and my fevered face was only mildly cooled by the two damp trails running from bloodshot eyes.

_Breathe. Just breathe._

It worked. The pulsing ache behind my eyes and in my ears slowed to something almost normal. Sitting upright, I pulled away from the overstuffed recliner cushion and waited for the stillness in the room to draw me awake. I slumped forward, too dazed to catch the book in time as it made an oppressive thud on the beige carpet.

_Jareth…_

If only we did not leave the apartment that day. If only we did not stop at that particular gas station. If only he did not come to my world. If only. If only…

I don't know how long I stared into space, wishing for some form of absolution, praying for something I could no longer define.

When Jareth gave up his role as Goblin King and came to my world to live at my side, I knew things would be different. I just…I just did not expect the irrevocability of that decision.

It was simple and horrifying.

No magic. Jareth was human in everyway, exhausted, cold and wet from rain, as he knocked on my door with nothing more than the shirt on his back and a hopeful look. He never did tell me how far he walked…how he came to my world. For a while I was devastated by what he gave up. Completely at a loss with what seemed like flippancy at the time, but what I now realized was calm acceptance…or indifference, it was hard to tell with him.

"I have you now, so what does it matter?" he had said, the night we made love, when I held tightly to him, pathetic and alone in my fear. That was his answer, as he pulled me even closer and tugged more blankets over the cold dread in my heart.

Finally human, there was now no link between his world and mine. The proverbial door to the Labyrinth was not just closed; it was as if it never existed. The finality of what he had done humbled me then. Now…now…

Mortality…how raw the word became…how ugly…

I grasped the fallen book and placed it and all its little paper tags and bookmarks on the coffee table. I had gathered all that I could from that one. After turning on a nearby lamp, I reached into the large cardboard box next to my chair and extracted another large, ornate book, thicker than the previous one. It was titled: "The History of Labyrinths and Subsequent Folklore."

_I will find it, _that faint voice inside my heart said; _somehow, I will find a way back to the Labyrinth._

_And, _I told myself even as I shook with desperation, _I will stop it from happening. I will save him. No matter the cost._

Fingers clenching, digging into the books delicate pages, I settled in for another long read.

- .- .- - .- .-

It was the wrong box. I did not find the book I was looking for but…

The amulet felt heavy in my palm. My finger slowly traced the gold and silver arches and I could not stand even if I wanted to. It was too much. I clasped it with both hands and slumped onto my side by the old cardboard box, curling around the otherworldly talisman as if for warmth.

Why Jareth? Why me?

You were a King… a man of power. You could have had any girl. None could touch you; no one could harm you…

That night, god, oh god…

"Do you love me?" he had asked, and his eyes were bright, serious...

"Yes," I whispered - mouth dry and head so dizzy that if we were not on the futon I would have collapsed. His hands ghosted down my face and rested on my jaw, drawing us together. His touch burned and I felt the heat of all his thoughts and all our longing in the kisses we slowly traded back and forth.

He looked so sure, so calm and collected, but his fingers fumbled with the buttons of my blouse. Love you, love you, love you, my mind repeated as he nuzzled my throat. When it was my turn, I nearly ripped his shirt off. When I saw it resting there on his chest, catching the faint light that filtered in through the bedroom window, I stopped, struck by what he was now and what he had given up.

He understood my expression and we looked at it together for one indefinable moment.

Solemnly, he sat up and lifted the amulet over his head, placing it neatly on the floor.

Gold and silver intertwined. The symbol of his birthplace, of his world, his authority…

"Jareth," my voice wavered, and I was suddenly afraid of his love. He pulled me to him and we laid there in the dark, hearing our breathing slow.

"I have you now," he said into my hair. His hand caressed my back, not out of passion but in slow soothing circles. "So what does it matter?"

Now… Through my tears I looked at the room, empty but for all the books and notes and boxes and boxes and boxes –

"_I have you now, so what does it matter?"_

I clenched eyes against the familiar burn and suddenly the pain changed.

"You - you idiot! You stupid fucking idiot!!!"

I knocked the box over. Papers, knick knacks, normal things flew out and with a strange scream I did the unthinkable and hurled the amulet as hard as I could.

There was a loud crack and it was that, and that alone, that broke the momentary insanity. Horrified, I scrambled to the wall. It was intact but one side of it was damaged by a long winding fracture that separated the gold arc from the silver.

I wrapped the silken cord around my trembling hand, and as if in a trance, felt myself sink down to the carpet, shaking, unraveling…

_Jareth… I have failed... failed - Jareth I have failed. I should never have dreamed…_

The tears came slowly, blurring the room, blinding me to all except what was no longer there.

Jareth on the couch, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. Jareth standing in front of the window looking out into the darkness as the rain tapped against the glass. Jareth turning toward me, taking my hand, pulling me in close to whisper, "Do you remember?" as we danced in lazy circles.

_Do you remember, Sarah?_

For a long while I laid there, with my back to the wall, hearing only the memory of his voice. I was shivering and not entirely sane.

"Please…" I whispered, unable to hear myself, unable to feel anything but the pain of his absence, "help me… I must go back… Somebody..."

I fell asleep. Or maybe I passed out, all I know is… when I dreamt… it was the first of what I would later call the "Three Dreams."

- .- .- - .- .-

We were pulling up into the gas station and the one thing I kept thinking was how nice the weather was that day. The leaves on the trees beyond the parking lot were vibrant green and between the spaces danced golden light.

_What a beautiful day for a picnic. One of these days I will bring some pencils and draw in the park, _I thought to myself whimsically.

I pumped the gas as Jareth hummed a tune from the latest top ten.

"You know," I said as I gave the pump one last squeeze, "you have a great voice. Maybe you should become a singer." I looked over my shoulder and saw his amused smirk.

"Really Sarah," he drawled, "do I strike you as one who sings folk songs in a small secluded coffee shop?"

"Oh no," I said quite innocently, "I see you as a rock star!" I smiled really much too broadly for such a little joke but there are times I see these little scenarios all too clearly that I can't help myself. He smiled in that patient way which meant he was rolling his eyes at me as I walked behind him, as I described how he could dye his hair red and wear gold boots as he sang all over the world.

I was so into my silly story that when we walked into the store I did not really notice the beat up red car in front or the young man inside it wearing thick sunglasses, nervously fingering his cigarette.

The moment I stepped beyond the door I heard the three rusty metal bells jingle. The delicate sound of them ringing against each other brought me back, and I screamed within my head to turn back, to take Jareth's arm and run. I cried, angry at my helplessness as I saw my arm touch him on the shoulder, heard the insignificant words falling out of my mouth in a pleasant unhurried voice, "Do you want to split a bag of chips?"

_I can't stop this! Someone – anyone – help me! Stop this! I can't – oh god, don't make me see this again! No! Oh god, he's coming, any moment now – stop him! _

My heart thundered with the knowledge and every second, a horrible agony, filled me with such rage and horror. I knew what would happen next. He would come in, a wisp of a man, a tall lean dark blur in the bright sunlight before the door shut us all in.

I ordered two sandwiches and Jareth came up next to me after grabbing to bottles of water from the fridge at the back of the store. Behind my smile, mixed in the small interchange of jokes, I was gasping inside, clawing at my tears, waiting for everything to fall apart.

The door moved. I heard the bells.

_NO! Don't come near him you god damn –_

Shocked. No other word could best describe me that moment. The dream had finally ceased its hold on me and I fell to my knees in both surprise and stunned relief.

My voice came out a squeak and a weak gasp, "Hoggle?"

He grasped one side of the door and pointed at me. The light was too bright behind him; I could not see what his mouth was forming.

"What? What are you telling me?"

He staggered in and the door clicked behind. Now that he was inside I could see him in the stores lighting and I could tell he was not well.

Too surreal, it was an instant where one best describes as a "bend of perception." I knew I would never forget this moment, where I could see and feel the grit of white tiles under my sweating palms, hear the slow whoosh of the rotating fan behind the deli counter, but find that no one occupied this store, this room, this dream save I and the unspoken presence of my friend.

With one finger he gestured a round circle and nothing he said came through, it was as if he were part of a silent movie. I quickly crawled to him as he fell to his knees, his mouth forming over and over again one word.

"Hoggle what –" my hand passed though him and he seemed to be fading away in front of me. Suddenly a gush of blood burst from his large nose. When his wrinkled hand wiped at it he looked surprised. It was bright red and it dripped onto his brown vest.

I was nearly hysterical, crying, asking what was happening.

His eyes half shut with pain and exhaustion, he waved to get my attention. With one finger he painted with his own blood a small circle on the floor tiles. At this point I could barely see him, he was near complete transparency. His finger trembled and with the last of his strength he drew a wavy line and a symbol of a triangle that looked strangely familiar.

He faded away completely.

"Hoggle! No, don't go! Don't leave me!"

My eyes snapped open and I felt bewildered and even more lost than usual as I sat up and looked round at the ashen walls of my apartment.

"Hoggle," I whispered as I wiped fresh tears from my eyes. _What was that? A dream…or was it real? _

And something about that word, the strange power of it…

_Real…_

A strange energy seized me, I was practically delirious!

_Never take things for granted with them, not with the labyrinth!_

A single word buzzed into my fevered brain: Contact. Somehow, Hoggle did it! He made contact! He had somehow breached the impenetrable division that separated my world from theirs.

My left hand throbbed and I looked down to see the fractured pendant wrapped around my hand, too tight to allow comfortable circulation. I suddenly remembered the blood and hoped fervently that Hoggle was all right. But even concern for Hoggle took second place to the sensation I had felt so rarely since Jareth's passing…hope.

I quickly drew the symbols Hoggle had risked so much to communicate to me, on a small pad of paper that had tumbled out of the box I had thrown during my fit. It would take me many days before the symbols would make any sense. But at least for the moment I understood one. With his own blood Hoggle had drawn a triangle with a smaller circular symbol in its center…a rendition of Jareth's pendant.

- .- .- - .- .-

**A/N: **

Thank you so much for reading. There is more to come, I've just been a wee bit busy. I have not abandoned "Faith Enduring" I'm just letting the ideas stew for now, but rest assured I love the concept too much to just forget it. I really appreciate everyone's encouragement and patience with me lately – especially Anij and Spitfire21 (You too are the best). Anij – thank you for looking over most of this and helping me out with some of the dialogue – you kind of help bring my insanity level back down to "manageable" when I'm attacked by a flurry of DPB.

orientalbunny


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth or its characters. This is a one shot that reflects my love for the story and the fact that sometimes I have a restless spirit and an overactive imagination. In no way do I make any profit from this or any of the other stories I submit here.

Summary: The world of mankind has many realities, most of which are ugly. And in the face of such heartbreak Sarah must look back, and return to a world where the word "impossible" does not necessarily apply.

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_Let me not to the marriage of true minds  
Admit impediments. Love is not love  
Which alters when it alteration finds,  
Or bends with the remover to remove:  
O no! It is an ever-fixed mark  
That looks on tempests and is never shaken …_

_Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare_

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**Title:**** All That May Come To Pass **

**Chapter 2**

**--**

"For my will is as strong as yours – and my kingdom as great." Immediate regret, the words felt too rehearsed.

His pale face caused something inside my heart to ache as I beheld the truth, here on this destined crossroad. He seemed …

_Vulnerable. _

A twist of sad uncertainty stopped the words in my mouth, a spike of hesitation as I looked at him, truly looked beyond the illusions and mystery and saw only …

"Stop," he cried.

I could feel my chest burning, fierce and intense, and I wanted to know, oh please tell me, what is the truth? Why are you not laughing at me, hiding your intentions in the dark, why must you …

"Look at what I'm offering you - your dreams," he whispered even as he stepped back, inching away as if I were the greater force.

To see there in blue eyes pain and such devastating hope.

And it all suddenly made sense to realize that this Jareth, the man before me who would give me anything, including the façade of his power over me, just to be with me, was real; and that the Goblin King was just an illusion.

It was true, I realized. He had lived up to my expectations, and even now he was bowing to my whims, giving me a choice when by his right he did not have to offer. And the choice itself was painful. Offering crystal dreams and childhood fancies, as if he himself was not worthy enough to tempt. Oh, Jareth …

So simple – now that I understand.

The dreams contained in the orb lost all allure. What need did I have for masquerade parties and petty games?

My hand reached for him, passing the proffered crystal to slowly grasp his wrist.

Surprise flickered in his eyes, and that horrible look filled with pain and doubt vanished.

The crystal fell from his hand, and broke gently as all bubbles do. He pulled me to him, a look of soft affection flashed in his eyes. I knew somehow, just knew, that Toby was already safe in his crib back home. A light breeze lifted a few strands away from his face, and I felt frozen, stricken by his masculine beauty.

Tenderly he cupped my face with one hand, and looked at me as if I were the most interesting person on the planet. A great wealth of silence overflowed and surrounded us as his lips touched mine gently and I was lost in that sweet electric caress. I closed my eyes in bliss and touched my lips to his in return; a gentle hesitant pressure. Everything stopped, and there was nothing else but this moment, this touching of lips, this unique understanding. We both opened our eyes, dazed, our faces warm, overwhelmed by this profound connection, this perfect accord.

I looked into his eyes and it was then, the very first time he gave me that slow subtle smile, the one where you could hardly tell what he was thinking.

"I accept," Jareth said, his breath cool over my moist lips, as he began to fade away. The room melted away with him and, my heart beating madly, I fell to my knees on the living room floor.

The grandfather clock was chiming midnight.

Chiming … no, ringing.

I slowly opened wet glassy eyes to stillness and heat. The ringing continued and I realized once again I had fallen asleep to see things more memory than dreams. It was so hard to wake and leave behind something so beautiful and painful.

I turned off the small metal alarm, listened to it tick for a few moments in a strange dismal haze before sitting up. My neck hurt something terrible but what could I expect falling asleep at the reading table again?

The signs Hoggle had given me were simple enough to understand, it was the context that was mystifying. There were so many hypotheses I could create it was truly endless, and therefore useless.

Carefully I walked between the small stacks of books on the floor toward the kitchen, wiping a trickle of sweat out of my eyes.

The faucet whined as I filled my glass of ice. I should eat something but I hated leaving the apartment; hated going outside and seeing people walk around streets and grocery stores as if it were an easy thing.

There had to still be something in the cupboards, anything, it didn't matter what, just enough to get rid of the annoying ache in my stomach so I could get back to work. I pushed aside the cruddy dishes on the counter, making room so I could step up and get to the top cabinetry. Hoisting myself up and stretching upwards, my mind thought again on the three symbols Hoggle drew.

First there was a circle.

Within the circle there was a cross, and as I reached for the can of peaches on the top I thought of what it meant. The cross was two separate symbols combined; a vertical line and a horizontal axis. One meant the path from earth to heaven, or the spiritual realm, while the other line was much more physical in its linear orientation, representing the path form birth to death.

A perfect plus sign within a circle, I mused; and the circle - the sign of unity, completion, and of endless repetition.

Dizzy and tired, I stepped down and clanged items around in the drawer in my search for the can opener. Some days I felt as if I were caught in my own personal circle, my dreams rarely going beyond treasured or painful memories, almost never varying from courses that had already happened. Repetitions.

Perhaps Dr. Freud was right, that dreams were nothing more than wish-fulfillments of repressed desires. After all the heart was not a cognizant thing, it could not understand that Jareth was no longer -

As I pulled the top off the can of peaches I cut my finger on the sharp metal edge.

It was fascinating to watch the blood bead into also a perfect sphere on the side of my right index.

Damn I was tired.

Which must have accounted for why, instead of placing my finger in my mouth as I usually would have done, I mimicked Hoggle, tracing lightly on the yellowish counter the shape of Jareth's pendent. It was very lightly done, and a small dangerous part of me wondered what it would look like if I cut myself deeper, and spilled the labyrinth's secret whispers in a large sign of much deeper crimson.

I shook my head and sipped the over sweet syrup in the can. The rush of sugar was almost more effective than coffee grounds, and my mind refocused. This was NOT about me.

This was about magic, about turning the world upside down, moving stars and turning back time.

This was about turning that fucking horizontal line, that path from birth to death, into a circle. Jareth should not have died! He was and should have been a being with no end, an immortal!

I looked at what I drew with disgust. Painting his emblem on the kitchen counter with my blood, what a stupid act of whiny drama! This was why I needed food; I had to get my head together. The sooner I could get to the labyrinth the sooner I could find answers.

I sat back at the table and looked at the drawings I made next to the many open books in my little red notebook. The cross within a circle … I picked up my pen again and wrote next to it on the light blue lines my thoughts and discoveries.

_June 1_

_In many ways I see the perfect circle and the horizontal line synonymous with the labyrinth itself. The Labyrinth is supposed by many (I included) to be a circular pilgrimage toward the center, a divine place we strive for salvation or enlightenment. _

_There are notes here that speak of medieval beliefs, that the labyrinth represents ones life journey, symbolizing the clear cut path from birth to God. _

_I know it is a far off cry from an answer but could it be that I can replace "heavenly realms" in my notes with perhaps the term "magical?" Could I perhaps cross this divide from my human plane to that of the magical one? Jareth was able to, so it must be possible. _

_Not only do I suppose that this symbol is Hoggle's way of communicating for me some way of crossing from "one realm to another" but I think he tried to give me a timeframe. The cross in a circle also represents the "solar cross" after all. And the solar cross represents a solar calendar marked by the solstices. Being there two solstices in a year, I do not believe it is a coincidence that the midsummer solstice is happening this month. _

_Given the complexity of this symbol I just cannot understand why Hoggle would then draw a wavy line. It seems too simple, and to me it can only mean water of some sort. But again, how can I find the path from here to the Labyrinth, even if I have the correct date and the right elements? _

_Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Ludo …give me strength. _

Hours passed as my notes as well as my headache grew.

I took a bite of a slice of peach and chewed it in contemplation.

It was too sweet and mushy soft and I belatedly recalled the one Jareth gave me.

_Jareth, beloved, you might as well be haunting me what with all the reminders I find that draw my thoughts inevitably back to you._ I placed the can further away and rested my head on my arms. Perhaps, no, I knew why I was prone to sleep my life away.

It had been a week ago that Hoggle came to me in my dreams. I felt myself touching the amulet around my throat and thinking of them; wishing for more answers and help of any kind.

I looked up and popped the cap off the sleeping aid medication, took two and swallowed them with a sip of peach syrup. When books, notes and literature failed, all I could do was wish. And so … I laid me down to sleep.

- .- .- - .- .-

The room was dark but I knew where I was. I smiled, feeling the warm body beneath mine shift for a more comfortable position on the Light green striped couch.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You," I answered, "Us, me perhaps. It's funny that we fell asleep here when there's a perfectly good bed in the other room."

I nuzzled my face into that wonderful hollow between neck and shoulder and felt his hand caress my hair.

"Hmm, yes," he said, "but it is the bouts of variety in life that make it truly worthwhile, and besides, the bed has entirely too much room. Here we are forced to hold each other close."

I giggled and kissed the side of his throat. I was feeling much more awake and was about to get up and turn on the lights when he placed his arms around my waist.

"Jareth?"

Soft light from outside fell through the blinds and left bars of blue across our bodies. His eyes were intense, but not like when we had first met. Back then his eyes were like two chips of blue tinted diamonds, sharp and cutting, jaded by the world's opinion of him. But here, in the privacy of our feelings for each other, his eyes were filled with so much more emotions; wonder, pleasure, affection, hope … love.

He pulled my head down over his heart, and I did not speak, feeling his tone too serious for interruption. His voice is beautiful. Smooth and rich, like satin. I listened to his voice and his heartbeat retell the story that brought us to this point in our lives.

"It was hard for you," he began.

"You were so young, and I did not want to break your connection with your family and friends. I did not want to give you more than you were ready for in life." I closed my eyes and remembered the night after we first kissed. I walked up to my room and entered, feeling the cold breeze whirling, breathing through the open window. Crossed the tan carpet and leapt into his arms.

"When I first came to you, I couldn't believe you still wanted to be with me, that you chose me. I had thought it some dream, and I was so glad that were not the case. Do you remember Sarah, how we spoke long into the night about my world and yours?"

I laughed, "Yes, I was useless at school the next day; my teachers couldn't believe I snored during a lecture."

He smiled, a weak fleeting thing, and traced soft fingers over the side of my face, "I could not stay. I asked you to wait for me."

"It …" I hesitated, still feeling that old hurt, not realizing that first time that he had meant a year would pass before we saw each other again, "it was difficult."

"I want you to know; I could only come to you once a year, that it was not intentional, my absence."

"I know," I said, and I did, every year we saw each other I could see the pain and fear in him grow, would I continue to wait? Would I trust him? Would I soon tire of our situation? I wonder if he knew how afraid I was of the very same thing; would he continue to wait for me? Would he come back the following year?

"I remember how you once told me how you dreamt of being a writer, living in a house in the suburbs and one day having a family, a little girl." The room was nearly black now and I could only make out his outline in the growing gloom, so I focused on his warmth, and his gentle unhurried breathing.

_Wait for me. _And each time I waited. For three years I had lived with the fear he might find someone more worthy, might never come into my room at night to hold and whisper how much he loved me.

I felt my throat tighten with an emotion I could not quite identify. "You know, I would have given everything up for you, all I have ever needed was you."

"I know," he breathed, "You would have sacrificed everything you strove for, which is precisely why I did not ask."

I swallowed that new bit of knowledge and nodded under his hand.

"Why …why are you telling me this Jareth?"

He kissed my forehead and moved from underneath me, and made to stand. Movement and then there was a flash and flare as he lit a match. He lit some candles that were on the end table just behind the arm of the couch. The shadows flickered with the flames movement and his hair and face looked honey hued in the semi-darkness. I watched him with confusion as he sat back on the couch, leaning into me, his forehead against mine. He did not ask, just took the ring from his pocket and smoothly slipped it on my finger.

"Because Sarah," he said, his warm breath ghosting over my skin like a secret in the dark, "I do not ever want you to worry that I will leave and not return. Never again."

The tears formed but they did not fall, I forbade them to. Instead I kissed him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

I took his hand in mine and made to pull him with me, toward the bedroom, when a strong breeze careened through the room. The candles were immediately extinguished and all light vanished.

A short furry shadow in the kitchen doorway riveted my attention.

The air seized in my lungs and I twisted round to see that Jareth was no longer in the room, no only the couch beside the wall, the small fern near the door and window, the TV on the black wood stand and writing table. I felt the dream darken, felt the temperature drop, and my heart hardened to realize I had forgotten again the difference between dreams and reality.

"Thank you," I whispered to the small proud shape in the doorway. I neared him and saw his little paw hold himself steady by gripping the side of the doorway. I knelt before him and placed my hand on his tiny shoulder and said, "Please, Sir Didymus, show me what must be done."

He did not speak. But after the last time I saw Hoggle, I had expected his silence. His two hands came up to touch my face, and his awkward movements caused a dread to rise painfully in my heart. A flash of lightning illuminated the room in slants of white light, and in that one instant I saw Sir Didymus's one good eye hazed over with a gray discoloration in the lens. Sir Didymus was blind.

At that the tears did fall and I gasped, holding his hand to my face, "Sir Didymus, oh god, what happened?" He smiled and gallantly took off his hat to bow before me, and I cried all the harder. He waved a finger at me, as if saying, _Now, now, none of that. _

He placed both paws over my eyes and I closed them at his silent bidding.

Darkness.

It seemed darker even than it should have been for just my eyes to be closed. But then I became aware of the sound of water, falling in loud thunderous drops upon more water. A vision opened before me, and I saw a wild terrain where once was the juncture between my living room and kitchen.

Wild black branches whipped in the distance by an invisible gale. And all I could see in that long distance were wide stretches of land before me, sheeted in long stripes of gray rain. A dark murky pool in front of me, its surface fractured into millions of breaks and ripples. I gasped to see the distorted outline of black leather and blond colored hair.

_My god, it's Jareth! I'm seeing everything through his eyes!_

I saw his feet step into the pool, saw the dark water swallow his legs up to his waist. I shivered at the cold sensation, but Jareth only grasped the amulet to his chest, gripping it hard as he whispered, "I renounce this world and its hold on me. Guide me through darkness and onto the path of mortality and bring me to the realm of humans."

Jareth's hands lifted a dark brown pouch from his side, and I saw him empty it into the water, a melting of white grains before him.

"A pure exchange for my one greatest wish, as by the Labyrinth's right. I hereby offer my title and with it all claim to this magical realm."

He slowly walked forward and whispered, "Take me to the one I call Sarah."

I panicked feeling the water inch upward, higher, past his chest, toward our throat, and then he submerged into that pattering surface of silver. Not even a gasp of breathe before the submergence. The sound of rain slapping the surface was suddenly cut off, and there was only silence and darkness, and for one moment I understood what it felt like to fly.

I saw the surface a long swim upward and suddenly his lungs were burning. Frantic use of muscles to propel upward, swimming toward the small point of light, watching it grow. Eyes painful, throat and chest numb with a low burning fire as the need for air grew. It was nearly too much but he made it, broke the surface with a horrendous gasp, something like a sob, and it was dizzying breathing in so much when seconds ago there was no air at all.

The light he had seen, that I could see now, had been from the soft glow of a park light. He splashed and used tired heavy arms to pull himself up on the dark green bank and I realized he had come up through the pond at the park we first met. He pulled himself onto the edge and flopped onto his back and laid there gasping. The wind stirred and he shivered. When he could finally breathe easily, he stared up at the sky and smiled.

He was human.

The vision faded and I opened my eyes to see Sir Didymus before me, nearly indiscernible in the near darkness. Sir Didymus's whiskers twitched and he pulled a tiny handkerchief from his breast pocket and pressed it into my hand. It was too heavy … my hand …I could not bring it up to wipe the tears away. Sir Didymus stepped back and with a large flourish bowed low.

Slowly he faded from sight.

--

A/N: A great big shout of thanks to Anij who read over the initial rough draft versions of this piece, She caught a lot of grammatical errors and made this chapter stronger. And a great big thank you to everyone who reads my stuff, it really means a lot :) And I do apologize for not updating sooner, I have high hopes for this story, and my brain is buzzing with some interesting ideas I want to try out. Again, thank you for reading!

orientalbunny


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes 04/15/2012:

Oh my god, I can't believe it. I've actually been bitten by my muse/plot bunny! After all these years! I'm so sorry for such a long hiatus. Everyone has probably completely forgotten about this story. I hope some people still like this story and want to continue the journey with me as I attempt to relearn how to type and story tell. I think it will still be a lot of fun. Thank you, to anyone who decides to read on, or is reading this story as a fresh new reader. *hug* ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own the labyrinth or its characters. This is a one shot that reflects my love for the story and the fact that sometimes I have a restless spirit and an overactive imagination. In no way do I make any profit from this or any of the other stories I submit here.

Summary: The world of mankind has many realities, most of which are ugly. And in the face of such heartbreak Sarah must look back, and return to a world where the word "impossible" does not necessarily apply.

EXULTATION is the going

Of an inland soul to sea,—

Past the houses, past the headlands,

Into deep eternity!

Bred as we, among the mountains,

Can the sailor understand

The divine intoxication

Of the first league out from land

Part Four, Time and Eternity by Emily Dickinson

**Title: All That May Come To Pass **

**Chapter 3**

On the night of the midsummer solstice I stood on the park's black green grass, eyeing the pond's smooth surface like a soldier on battlefront. Cast over me was a circle of sick yellow light from an old fashioned iron wrought park lamp.

_This was the spot. Upon this bank he laid here, looked up into the stormy sky and smiled. He walked nearly ten miles to my new apartment. _

Unlike the night Jareth appeared, the stars shone clearly over my head in a perfect black lacquer.

_Not one cloud …_

It was a warm night but still I shivered as I cast my jacket off and stepped from dry concrete into the pond. My sandals sank into the cool mud and I walked carefully until I was waist deep in cold murky water. I could feel the water soak up further into the material of my blouse and chill my ribcage.

There was no one around to stop or watch me. The park was empty and dark at nine o'clock, illumined only by the few lamps placed strategically at certain points of sidewalk. I could hear crickets in the distance.

A gentle breeze threaded through my hair, ghosting my neck and raised goose bumps all along my arms. I lifted the small plastic bag I had been holding and tilted it at an angle. Grains of white shifted out and melted before me.

_Salt. _

_Long has it held religious and cultural significance as a spiritual purifier. Greek worshippers consecrated it at alters; Buddhists as well as Shinto priests used it to ward off evil demons. _

Death and cruelty is not a secret among human kind. No, for centuries my world has been steeped in it. It is no wonder that the ritual Jareth performed, crossing from the Labyrinth into this mortal realm, called for said purification.

I thought of his home, dry and dirty, over run by goblins and black chickens and realized that the worst misdemeanor there was taking a piss in the drinking fountain. It probably wasn't even necessary for me to use salt in my attempt to return.

_Leave no stone unturned …_

My hand tightly held the amulet that was still around my neck as I felt my throat tighten with nerves. A sense of both trepidation and awe overwhelmed me as I looked up and beheld the millions of stars overhead. It was so quiet.

How can I feel so insignificant while at the same time connected? Am I important enough to stand here let alone try to change what others call destiny?

Shaken, and I wasn't even sure by what.

I sank to my knees and felt the water kiss the end of my chin; felt the tears roll down to join the rippling dark surface.

I thought of Hoggle and the pain and exhaustion in his eyes; thought of Sir Didymus and his kind innate gallant nature even when blind. And Jareth, god, because of his love for me -

"I love them – I love him," I whispered, choking. All their love and sacrifices, all of them are worthy of things and ideas and universes far greater than I. If prayers really hold power then please hear me.

"I will fix this!" I gasped.

_I swear it. I will fix this!_

"Please," I breathed –

"Take me there. I beg you, let it not be all for naught. If something is required in exchange, take it! Take my sight, take my heart - take anything – please, return me to the labyrinth!"

I tightened my grip on the amulet and after a gulp of air dived in.

It was wrong. I could feel it was wrong but still I swam down.

Seconds turned to minutes as I reached out blindly. My lungs burned as my fingers touched mushy root tangled earth. I surfaced gasping and dove again. Dark, so dark, was it just the wrong spot? I tried again, a little more to the right, then to the left. My right arm slapped the water in frustration as I surfaced again.

_No! No! Don't do this to me!_

I swam down, kicking my legs viciously each time, over and over again. Hours passed and no otherworldly door opened before me.

Exhausted, I rested on the bank, my back pressing down into mud and roots. I was gasping for breath. My skin felt numb from the cold water and my arms were too tired to even brush the wet tangled strands of hair away from my eyes.

_Why?_

The stars danced above me, blurring in and out and I must have forgotten to eat again today. The smell of damp earth and something akin to mold was nearly overpowering as I turned onto my side, cradling myself in cold mud. My clothes stuck to me and the air which had seemed so warm and tepid at the beginning of this evening chilled me like nothing I had ever felt before.

And for the first time I truly thought about giving up. Even after all they had done for me, I had somehow failed. Perhaps a magical word was supposed to be said, some kind of food eaten, a certain thought or number of blinks of the eye, whatever it was I had not done or provided it, and it would soon be past midnight.

My chest ached.

Everything in me longed to just fall asleep and never wake up.

The tears did not even come. My eyes burned as did my throat, as my body bowed inward, curling around the silent scream lodged inside my chest.

In the distance I heard the clock tower chiming. One, two, three, four, five peals…

_I'm sorry. Hoggle … _

Six, seven, eight…

_Sir Didymus …Oh god…_

Nine, ten, eleven…

_Jareth…_

Midnight.

I had failed.

- .- .- - .- .-

I looked up into the concerned eyes of Karen and tried to recall what topic she had been talking about when her hand reached across the white table cloth and covered mine.

"You haven't heard a word I said, have you?" Remarkably there was not even a hint of recrimination in her voice as I looked down into the sad remains of my half eaten garden salad.

I'm sorry was on the tip of my tongue but we had been over this too many times to count. Karen knew how hard it was for me to get on with my life, and in her eyes it was bordering on paranoia. And looking at it from her side of perspective I couldn't blame her. I sometimes thought of the world beyond my front door as the "outside world" treating it as it were a separate entity.

Solely concerned with my research and attempts at communicating with the Labyrinth via dreams, it was of absolutely no consequence to me if I ever left the apartment. I only left my rooms when accompanied by someone and Karen always insisted at least once a week in trying to coax me out for some air and a change of scenery.

I would have given anything to have postponed this lunch date. The misery I felt was a wild beast raging in my chest just ready to be unleashed.

It was hard enough not to feel irritated and it was even harder trying to give off a sense of nonchalance when the sounds of people eating and laughing enclosed me. The noise made my skin ache, as if it were a sheet made out of steel wool surrounding me, pressing, scratching me with its incessant buzzing.

Smoothly I laid my fork down and wiped my sweaty palms under the table with the red cloth napkin, away from Karen's worried gaze.

"It has been a while hasn't it? I wanted to take you outside more but to tell you the truth I was afraid you would associate me with a sense of dread. How are you doing on your research?"

I felt a bit surprised Karen would actually voice out her concerns, and a spike of guilt appeared as it always did when she inquired of my research. To this day, she thought it was freelance writing.

It was hard for us both to relate to each other as is and she knew better than to press me in giving up on my "work."

Unlike the other times thought, bile rose up in my throat and I could feel heat crawl up under my skin to suffuse my face. My "work" had amounted to nothing. All the hours I had put into reading Labyrinth folklore, medieval beliefs, and the history of magic in society – a complete waste because I was too stupid to understand the symbols Hoggle left me. I had taken so many sleep aid pills I was surprised I hadn't poisoned myself. And for what?

"Nothing," I mumbled out loud to my and Karen's surprise. This time she clasped both of my chilled hands in hers, and there were tears filming her eyes.

"Sarah… Please come home with me. You don't have to be alone anymore. It will be just as it was before when you were in high school. Toby would love to spend time with you, and Robert has missed you so much. I just…. God Sarah, I can see you wasting away right before my eyes."

It was true. After last night, I felt like I was gutted and completely hollowed out. It was as if my heart were broken all over again. My hair was dull and lifeless. My skin pale to the point of being almost bloodless and no amount of makeup could take away the dark skin that ringed my red rimmed eyes.

"Please," she whispered, and tears fell from her eyes. People near our tables were beginning to look our way.

My hands became numb and I felt trapped. I had failed hadn't I? Could I return back to normalcy just like that? Where could I go now, having found no way back into the Labyrinth?

My mouth was open but no words could emerge. I was standing on a precipice. My body was rigid, yet vibrating with the desire to move. Backward… forward… I was unable to think, unable to move on.

Stone grinding on stone and I could hear gravely voices beseeching my tortured mind, _"Turn back, this is not the way. Turn back before it's too late."_

Panicked, I wrenched my hands out of Karen's and ran. Heard my name shouted out above the roar in my ears, felt myself run into a poor waiter and sensed the crash of white porcelain.

"It's too late," I gasped, answering ghosts of another world.

I ran all the way to my apartment, past the blur of roads, buildings and people. My side cramping fiercely and my head just missing the side table, I fell, collapsing safe behind locked doors.

- .- .- - .- .-

It was late afternoon, nearly evening when I regained consciousness. I wretched but my stomach and throat were too tight and empty. What was that noise?

Dazed, I realized my phone was ringing. The caller kept stopping just short of the answering machine, and redialing. I knew it was either Karen or my dad.

I crawled, scattering the spilled remains of my purse across the wooden floor as I reached the base of the island that upheld the phone. The machine clicked and I could hear Karen's frantic voice. Dad would be here any minute. They were not taking no for an answer anymore.

I jerked the phone line out of the wall viciously. The phone crashed and though the ringing had stopped that strange subdued rumbling was still keening all around me. I found a piece of the receiver, a jagged clump of black plastic in my shaking hand.

Ignoring the strange rumbling within the house I stood up slowly. Swaying between my sudden choices.

I could do it.

Vague notions of life and death and the afterlife rolled through my head like the breaking swelling waves of a vast ocean. I have no idea how long I stood, waiting for some push of motivation, some calling answer to a question unasked.

I tilted. I could now feel the rumbling sensation. What is -?

Loud knocking at my door and I panicked. They were here!

I staggered into the bathroom, locking that door too. If they somehow got in, they would have to break this door down too!

I dropped the jagged plastic, holding on to the cold white sink as I felt like I was experiencing a small scale earthquake. What was going on? What is that noise?

The dirty water sloshed from the shower tub. Too tired and uncaring, I had not drained the muddy water from last night's bath. And now that I thought about it, why did I take a bath and not a shower last night when I was caked in mud?

I was going insane.

I am insane. Wait. What?

High pitched voices were singing, weaving nonsensical words over and over through my frenzied mind.

_Say the right words. Say the right words. Say the right words._

Was… Was it that simple?

"I wish," I said, my voice cracking, delirious, as I picked up the shard of plastic and slashed it downward.

Down… Into the cellophane of light pink bath salts. It poured out in sweet smelling clumps into the trembling, sloshing water.

I fell on my knees and crawled quickly into the salt infused mud water in my tub. I cried out in joy. I knew this sound now. How could I have mistaken it? It was Ludo, howling.

Bits and pieces of plaster fell from the walls. Was my apartment caving in? Would my parents survive? I could hear dad now on the other side of the door, pounding, screaming out my name, imagining I had done the unthinkable in my misery.

Hanging loosely from my throat, I clasped the amulet in my hand in astounded relief. Since the day I found it, not once had I taken it off. This was destiny. This was sanctuary. Thank you. Thank you. I was going home.

"I wish to return to the Labyrinth. Right now," I closed my eyes and sank down, under muddy water, just as I heard a wooden door break in.

I vanished.


End file.
